Opinion

I love the smell of jet fuel in the morning

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

It was the smell of jet fuel (actually exhaust) that triggered a hundred memories last Wednesday. I was standing on the ramp with brilliant sunshine and a stiff Oklahoma breeze at Vance AFB. A cacophony of sound from T-1s, T-6s and T-38s all noisily coming and going added to the moment. Like Yogi said, "It was déjà vu all over again!" because exactly fifty years ago I was in the same place learning to fly the T-33 on my way to earning silver Air Force Pilot's Wings.

This time I was accompanied by Trevor Evans and Scott Leibbrandt, both young men that I had earlier taught to fly in the civilian world at McCook. Both are 2nd Lieutenants and both are flying T-38s in their last phases of training to earn their coveted wings. I am so honored and proud to share a small bit of their lives as they prepare to serve their country in the role of Air Force pilots.

A company flight had taken me to Enid, Oklahoma with a four hour layover. Forewarned by text these two sharp young men showed up in flights suits to give me the VIP treatment and tour of their training program.

Sure, things have changed in the ensuing 50 years. I flew three different types of aircraft in my training, they fly two, all jet-powered. My training phases consisted of transition, instruments, two-ship and four-ship formation. They do the transition, instruments and formation. They spend lots of hours in much better flight simulators than I ever saw. I had one instructor throughout the entire T-33 jet training phase; they fly with whatever instructor the computer draws for that lesson that day. Still, it is a supreme challenge, as every flight hour can get you killed or even worse wash out.

For them, use of computers are a way of life with every hour scheduled, grades posted and much of the training presented on screen. We used books and training manuals they use computer programs. Even their critiques are done on the computer as a "chip" records their maneuvers in-flight and then that chip is inserted into a computer utility that tells all and shows all, good stuff and warts included. It is a different world but in my opinion they are the better trained for it. Fighter pilot speak: If you have to ask who is the best pilot; you 'ain't!"

A highlight for me was a session in a T-38 flight simulator that Trevor arranged. He coached me through a takeoff: release brakes, select afterburner on both engines, rotate at 140 knots, gear and flaps up, accelerate to 300 knots, come out of burner and climb out at a rate that I'd never seen before. At altitude he had me accelerate to 500 knots (I have never flown an airplane that would fly 500 knots straight down, much less accelerate to 500 knots straight and level). Then pull the stick back to five G's and hold that all the way around in a loop, maintaining Military Power the entire maneuver.

Ah, yes, I could fly that airplane; in my dreams, though, as my body wouldn't take the 5 G's anymore. Like I said, those young men, women too, are making me extremely proud. We are leaving our military, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard in good hands!

I think that Grannie Annie, my bride of 50 years, was pleased! Several weeks ago we applied for passports, hers a renewal, and for me an original. In all my travels in the military, a passport was never required. After retiring, I just never bothered to get one. Now, thanks, to radical Islamists, a passport is a necessity to travel to or from even our closest neighbors, Mexico and Canada -- at least to get back into the USofA that is.

This past week I received a letter of rejection for my application due to my birch certificate not being registered within one year of my birth. Actually that wasn't news because when I had applied to enroll in the Air Force Academy some 56 years ago, we discovered that my birth had never been recorded. At that time, mom went through the exercise of checking St. Catherine hospital records and getting an affidavit from Doctor Donal Morgan, who delivered me, and an official record was made at that time. That delayed but original birth certificate worked to get me into the Air Force where I served for 25 years.

It served to get for me a Top Security clearance. Then, too, when I was elected to public office and had to fill out an INS form 7 and that same official birth certificate was then perfectly adequate. Now, evidently I will have several hoops to jump through to prove to some nameless bureaucrat that indeed I was born right here in McCook, Nebraska, USofA.

Then the day after my rejection letter arrived Grannie's new passport booklet came through without a hitch.

She said nary a word but proudly and prominently displayed her shiny new document right there on the dinner table. Oh Lord sometimes it is hard to be humble!

That is the way I saw it.

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  • Isn't it interesting, you cannot obtain a Passport, what with all them years of service, and a Terrorist can obtain one at almost any street corner. Ha.

    I can guess at one even better than yours, Dick. I was told, upon Retirement I was on a 30 year restriction for travel outside USA, due to some of the information I was supposed to be carrying inside my echo chamber. OK, I finally pass my 30 year NO-NO time, and the Terrorists have made obtaining a Passport even more difficult to obtain, even if I did want to travel, which I don't.

    In my opinion, your Retired ID card should still suffice as a quick-fix to any Passport problems, but what do I know about defending this country, sort of like you?? Insanity seems to rule in our Governmental leadership, today.

    Just, Thank God you are sane, and jump through the hoops like a good little American dumb dumb.

    Good luck, bud.

    Arley

    -- Posted by Navyblue on Tue, Apr 20, 2010, at 8:13 PM
  • great article, Makes me laugh, you know Grannie Annie was smiling.. Love you Your daughter.

    -- Posted by AnotherFlyinTrail on Thu, Apr 22, 2010, at 11:49 AM
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